


lost and found

by Splintered_Star



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Chronic Illness, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Pre-Canon, canon context makes this sad, reference to ableism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23191675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Splintered_Star/pseuds/Splintered_Star
Summary: Mahzer's husband has brought home another lost soul. This one, she can help better than him.
Relationships: Braev Lee/Mahzer Lee
Kudos: 7





	lost and found

The girl is too small, clearly underweight, and looks even smaller by Braev’s large hand on her shoulder. She glares at everything, her arms crossed sullenly in front of her, but her lips are ragged and her steps falter when Braev gently guides her forward.

Mahzer wants to scoop her up into a hug and never let go, except possibly to feed her. But Vincent is trying a new combination of spells that leave her dizzy if she moves too fast, so instead she just catches her husband’s eyes across the lobby and smiles. He returns the smile, though it is brief and strained. The hand on the girl’s tiny shoulder tenses but does not tighten.

Ah. This must be that girl, then. Braev’s letter had come in a few days before, only barely beating him back – Mahzer remembers reading it, struggling through Braev’s normally immaculate handwriting gone slanted and snarled with anger – “They left her to die,” he’d scrawled, “Called her cursed and plague-born and abandoned her.” She’d known, before he finished explaining, what he would do. There was only one thing /to/ do, really.

Mahzer carefully makes her way across the lobby, pausing to greet familiar nurses and reassure one that yes, she does have permission to be up and about. By the time she reaches her husband, Braev is talking to one of the nurses and the girl is leaning slightly against his side. She’s wearing shoes a bit too large for her – slippers, with jewels stitched into the fabric. Mephilia’s, perhaps. The sisters had gone along on that trip. The dress looked like Artemia’s, maybe - about the right size, at least.

“Yes, please do let him know – Mahzer, hello.” He turns away from the nurse, leaning over. Mahzer meets him half way in a kiss, smiling into it. There is a faint disgusted noise from the girl, and it’s so /normal/ that Mahzer can’t help but be reassured. “I was just asking after Dr. Court. Are you well?”

“Perfectly fine, dear. And Vincent is upstairs.” This close she can see the dark shadows under his eyes, the stubble on his chin. One track mind, her husband – he sees something that needs to be done, and he does it without looking after himself. Hopefully he’s remembered to eat more than once a day, but she doubts it. “Is this-?” She glances down at the girl. The girl glares back at her and then looks away.

“Yes, I would like the Doctor to look her over as soon as possible.” His blue eyes shade with worry and righteous anger, and she wants to kiss him again. She can’t be angry at him for not taking care of himself, or for bringing home another lost child, or for taking up another cause – not when his desire to make life better for everyone is one of the things she loves about him.

“Don’t know why you’re bothering,” The girl mutters, still glaring at the floor. Her voice is rough, but there’s a Florem lit to it, the one Alternis tries to hide. “I’m going to die soon anyway.”

Mahzer’s heart breaks, and doesn’t need to meet her husband’s eyes to see that he feels the same. The girl is much too young to be so certain of her fate, so sure of suffering.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” She says, making herself smile gently, “The doctors here are very good. What’s your name?”

The girl looks up and then looks away again. Eventually, she says, “…Victoria Obl-“ but cuts herself half way through the second word, scowling fiercely at nothing. On her shoulder, Braev’s hand tenses again. “Victoria. Just. Victoria.”

Oh, poor girl. “Hello, Victoria. My name is Mahzer. You’ll be taken care of here, I promise.” The girl rolls her eyes. A nurse walks up, clipboard in hand – one of Vincent’s assistants, and one Mahzer knows well. “Oh, hello Carla, is Vincent available?”

“Yes, he just finished up.” She looks down to the girl, smiling gently. “If you’d like to join me, Miss?” Victoria steps away from Braev’s side, towards the nurse. But her shoulders are tense and her steps are slow, and Mahzer can’t quite bear to send a child into a strange place alone.

“I can come with you, if you’d like.” Victoria’s dark eyes jump up to her, open wide. Mahzer smiles so that she won’t cry at the blatant surprise in her eyes. “I know the way.”

Victoria blinks, looking down, and she shuffles her feet when she looks back up. One side of her mouth flickers up into a hesitant smile. “…If you want to,” she finally says. Mahzer nods and steps to her side. She offers a hand – the girl doesn’t take it, but that’s all right.

“I will come as…” Braev starts, trailing off as Mahzer turns to him with raised eyebrows.

“/You/ are going to go home, eat a complete meal, and get some rest.” If her husband is going to look after the whole world, then she is going to look after him. She holds his gaze until he concedes, inclining his head with a rueful smile. She leans up to kiss his cheek again and then smirks as she pulls back. “And then you’re going to shave.”

Braev blinks and then rubs his cheek self-consciously. “Ah. Yes.” He coughs, once, and nods. Carla is polite enough to hide her smile behind her clipboard. Victoria just stares at them all, her eyes furrowed in something like confusion. “I will return home, then, and wait for you there.” His hand - rough with callouses, so different from all of the other priests he once worked with - lights on Mahzer’s shoulder for a moment, and she touches his wrist gently. “Be well, my love.”

“And you as well, darling.” Her husband leaves, with a smile that comes more easily now. Mahzer turns to the child and offers her hand again. “Now, let’s go meet the doctor, shall we?”

Victoria looks at the offered hand and then ignores it, taking a step forward – but then immediately stumbles. Mahzer and Carla both reach for her, but Mahzer is closer and catches her shoulder before she hits the floor. The quick movement makes her own head swim, her stomach twisting unpleasantly, but she still sees the surprise twisting Victoria’s dark features.

“Lady Mahzer, Victoria, are you both all right?” Carla’s hand overs an inch above Mahzer’s shoulder, offering support but not forcing it. Mahzer flickers a smile at her in between deep breaths as she tries to steady herself.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you, Carla. The last round of white magic spells had a few side-effects,” she explains ruefully, “Vincent says they should fade by the end of the week.” She lets out another deep breath and centers herself again. “Victoria? Are you all right?”

Victoria stares at her, considering. Eventually she nods, but her lips twist down and she stares at Mahzer’s hand. Mahzer meets her stare and raises her eyebrows with a slight smile. Victoria looks away, pouting, and then grabs Mahzer’s hand.

It’s a start, Mahzer decides.

They make it to the elevator without further incident, though Victoria’s steps are slow and wavering. Her hand is tight around Mahzer’s and her face twists in pain, but she doesn’t make a sound, and that more than anything else is heartbreaking.

Victoria looks around the inside of the elevator, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Mahzer leans against the wall – it’s a bit rude, perhaps, but she’s very conscious of how much the short trip has tired her. There’s hardly any jolt as the elevator starts, the Ancheim-built technology as flawless as ever. Victoria looks up at the movement and her eyes slide over Mahzer – and then drop to the floor again.

Aternis hadn’t talked much at first, either, and asked no questions. Even now he would rather suffer in silence or try to learn through observation rather than ask. Forcing the girl to talk would do no good - patience is best.

As the elevator slides upwards, the girl leans against the wall herself, one foot scuffling against the floor. The shoes hang from her heels, very slightly, too big for her underfed frame. Mahzer decides she’ll have to take the girl shopping, once she’s feeling better. She looks to be close to Edea’s age – maybe she should introduce them.

“….so you’re sick too?”

Mahzer blinks away from wondering what colors would be best on the child’s dark skin and then smiles softly at Victoria. Victoria stares down at the gleaming floor, her mouth twisted down and her feet shuffling.

“I am,” she says, gently. “When I was your age, many people thought I would not survive. I’m doing much better with Dr. Court’s help, but I will always be ill.” All her husband’s passion and Vincent’s genius couldn’t change the fact that her body is broken, and always will be. “But coming here has made my life much better.”

While she’s quietly glad that she doesn’t look sick anymore, that strangers on the street don’t stare at her for her shaking shoulders and constant cough, there are still too many children who wear their sickness on the outside where everyone can see and think that everyone else must as well.

Victoria scowls down at the floor, glancing up and then back down again. “….you don’t look sick. It couldn’t have been /that/ bad.” She doesn’t sound convinced, though. Mahzer just smiles.

“It was. There were winters I could hardly move, I was in so much pain, and coughed incessantly.” Even now there is a tickle in her throat, but she knows it is merely a memory. “My parents dug my grave a dozen times by the time I was grown.”

She’s given this speech before, to other sick children with little hope of recovery, who think they are alone in their misery and there is no way out. It seems to work better than promises of miracles, as much as she thinks it as one, and is more encouraging than mindless cheer.

Victoria looks her over, dark eyes narrowed. Slowly, she nods. “….okay.” She swallows, her fists clenched. “I still think you’re all wasting your time, but… okay.”

The girl scowls fiercely, as if this tiny acknowledgement of hope angers her. Mahzer just smiles and gently touches her shoulder. Later, she will help the girl deal with the side effects, buy her new dresses and hot chocolate, and introduce her to Edea. Later, she will teach the girl to hope without fear, how to live without constant suffering.

But for now, all she says is, “Be careful when the elevator stops. We’re almost there.”

Victoria smiles, tiny and fragile. But it’s a smile, as precious as Alternis’ first word, as precious as her own health.

She’ll help the girl smile fully another day.

**Author's Note:**

> ...and then victoria felt better and got the help she needed and CERTAIN EVENTS IN THE CANON NEVER HAPPENED. 
> 
> Whoops.


End file.
